Chapter 28

• Lila
• The morning sun filtered through the curtains as I slipped out of bed, my stomach tight with nerves and anticipation. Today had to go well. I couldn’t afford any more setbacks. Emerson had been avoiding me like the plague lately, and Raven… she was more distant than ever, even though she was in our faces every day. I could feel something shifting, something dangerous in the air, but I had to stay focused. One wrong move, and everything I had been working toward could collapse.
• As I stepped into the kitchen, I put on my best smile. The smell of freshly brewed coffee filled the room, and Raven sat at the table, scrolling through her phone, while Emerson sat across from her, staring into his mug like it held all the answers to his problems. The tension in the air was palpable, but I wasn’t going to let it get to me. Not today.